


A Stroke of the Pot

by Freedom_Shamrock



Series: Adrinette April 2018 [7]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette April, Aged-Up Character(s), Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Post-Hawk Moth Defeat, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 09:35:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14305863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Freedom_Shamrock/pseuds/Freedom_Shamrock
Summary: Adrien has been living with Marinette and her parents, and he's doing his best to get his life on track during his father's trial.





	A Stroke of the Pot

**Author's Note:**

> Adrinette April prompt #12 - lucky charm.
> 
> This takes place a few years after "Planning With Bread on the Board," but stands well on its own.

Adrien was suddenly pulled out of his intently focused world of neutrino oscillations by the heavenly smell of chocolate chip cookies.  "Hngh?" He looked up and briefly got caught in his beautiful girlfriend's intense blue eyes. "Bug?" He was more disoriented now than he was most mornings when their alarm went off. 

She giggled and reached out to run her hand into his hair.  "Somebody's being very diligent." She held out a small plate of cookies, the chips still shiny and molten.  "I think you need a snack break so you don't crash before you're done."

"Oooh.  Was it baking day?"  He took a small bite, savoring the way the crusty edge crunched before caving to the softer interior. He grinned at Marinette's mock scowl.

"Adrien.  We live above a patisserie boulangerie.   **Every** day is baking day."  She shook a finger at him as if chastising him, but there was no bite in her words.  She slid the plate onto their shared desk and peeked down at his tablet. "So what's MINOS, other than the ancient king of Knossos?"

He wrapped his arm around her waist, leaning on her.  "It's a high energy physics experiment from a few years back.  They used the Tevatron particle accelerator at Fermilab to shoot a neutrino beam through bedrock to a decommissioned mine in northern Minnesota." 

"Uh huh?"  She nodded, looking adorably puzzled.  "I don't know what neutrinos are. I mean, I remember hearing about them in Mendeleiev's class, but…"  She shook her head.

"It's not important," he said gently.  She tried so hard to be supportive of his interests.  During their gap year, she'd helped set up shadowing experiences in all sorts of fields all over Paris.  She'd drawn their entire class into the project, making sure he had opportunities to explore things his father had never allowed.  He couldn't remember what ridiculous name Alya had given it, but it had been a success. After three months he'd been able to narrow down to science, and another month more to further identify physics as the place he wanted to start.

"If it's important to you, it's important to me," she insisted.  "You listen to all my ramblings about trends, fabrics, and design features."

"You're adorable when you're excited and rambling," he pointed out, delighted when that earned him a light blush.  It was much harder to invoke that response after so much time together, but he continued to try.

She smirked at him.  "So are you, Kitty."

"Mari," he whined.  "Don't do that."

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"You know I turn to mush when you call me that."  It had probably been retaliation for the blush, but he didn't mind.  "Anyway, I'm still in the fashion field, so I know the vocabulary and stuff.  You've never loved physics." He nuzzled her stomach, wondering if it would be a bad idea to just pull her into his lap.  Cuddles would throw off his studying, but he was totally weak for such distractions.

"True," she agreed.  "But I  **do** love you."  She lightly tapped his nose, then took the forgotten cookie out of his hand and nudged it against his lips.  "More snacking, less talking."

"Adrien, Marinette," Tom called from downstairs.

"Yes Baba?"  Marinette slipped out of Adrien's hold to look down at her father.

"Ms. LaValle is here," Tom explained.  "She's gotten an update."

Adrien tensed and closed his eyes, slowly breathing to keep calm.  The lawyer had worked closely with them since the first days after Hawk Moth was arrested.  She'd helped protect Adrien's personal earnings and the trust fund from his mother. She'd advised him when it came to dealing with his father's company, and letting the board take control.  If she was here now with news, the three judges from the Court of Assize must have issued their statement. Finally.

Sighing, he turned off his tablet.  He was unlikely to get any more studying done tonight, and he'd have to hope his professors were understanding of the circumstances.

"I'm with you, Kitty," Marinette said softly, sidling up to him again when he pushed himself to his feet.  "Mama and Baba are here for you, too. So no matter what we hear, we can get through it. Okay?"

He nodded.  He suspected he wouldn't be able to free himself of the emotional baggage of being the son of a terrorist until the legal part was complete.  And while he'd been able to pick up enough modeling jobs to avoid digging into his savings, that would probably change if they had to go through a whole new round of criminal investigation.  For every marketing director who wanted to use his tragic life story to sell something, there would be twenty who wanted to avoid the negative publicity of the name Agreste. Ms. LaValle had warned them that Gabriel would probably appeal, forcing Adrien to once again talk about what he'd been through.  He'd have to explain what it had been like to have his own father attack him, slamming his hand in a door and crushing most of his bones. To be tied up and stabbed by the man who was supposed to love him. He could do it, thanks to therapy, but he  **really** wanted to move past this point.

He took another deep breath, slowly letting it out.  "Okay. Let's go," he said, holding Marinette tightly to him.  When they reached the living room, he was surprised to see Ms. LaValle smiling.

"Adrien, Marinette," she said brightly.  "It's so good to see you."

He nodded, unsure what to say, and hoping Marinette would take care of what needed to be done.  Of course she did. She was his personal lucky charm after all.

"You have news?" Marinette asked, moving him over to the couch and resting her free hand on his knee.

Ms. LaValle nodded, sitting with them.  She'd seen him at his worst, and had gotten used to Marinette being their voice when he couldn't do it.  "It's over," she said, likely aware that Adrien couldn't handle the suspense. "Gabriel Agreste was found guilty of  **all** charges by the Court of Assize, and the Court of Cassation has already refused the appeal."

"Really?"  His eyes were suddenly leaking.  "It's… it's really over?"

Ms. LaValle nodded again.  "Yes. And while he genuinely appears to have had a psychotic break, he's never getting out of prison."

He turned to Marinette, who was quite literally beaming at him, and pulled her into a hug so tight she squeaked.  "I never have to see him again," he mumbled.

On top of the good news, Mari's hands burrowing into his hair brought up the rumble in his chest.  

**Author's Note:**

> Story title is a French idiom - A stroke of the pot = a stroke of luck
> 
> Sorry this is late. My phone started misbehaving and I ended up spending my planned evening writing time fixing it.
> 
> MINOS was an actual research project (and I got to visit both ends of it, Soudan Mine when they were still setting up, and Fermilab when they were still working with the data).
> 
> Feel free to visit me over on [Tumblr](http://freedom-shamrock.tumblr.com/). If you have constructive feedback or need to discuss an aspect of this story, I've found that sort of thing tends to work better via direct messaging or asks than the comments section here.


End file.
